Tag: exercise

Ever had tough days? Those when you just don’t want to push play or dread a aparticular work out? Whether it is long days at work, life overload, stress, loosing weight or getting your mojo back, exercise can be the outlet you need if you give it chance.

By chance I mean a few minutes. 5 to 8 minutes is the time it takes before your dreaded work out turns into feeling glad you did it. It’s that easy—and quick. There’s something unexplainable that happens to you within the first few minutes of a routine or a run. Call it endorphins or a physiological spike in adrenaline—whatever it is, your mind starts to drift away from the dread you felt before starting. You wonder why you ever stalled on lacing up in the first place.

Yes you might still feel sluggish or drained on the entire work out, but that’s a normal part of training. You can’t feel amazing every day, and putting those expectations on yourself will lead to a feeling of disappointment. So on those days where it feels really tough to get it going, give yourself a few minutes. And if you’re still not convinced you should be training, then plop on the couch (but I have a feeling you won’t.)

One of my yoga teacher kept telling us we were as young as our spine was flexible.

Not only does stretching cut muscle soreness but it also improves flexibility and range of motion, helps reduce risk of injuries and gets your circulation flowing, which makes you more alert, think more clearly and leaves you feeling refreshed.

BONUS: it doesn’t require any equipment and can be done in no time, almost anywhere.

You want to stretch these principal muscle groups everyday:

Neck;

Chest and biceps;

Triceps;

Harmstrings;

Quads;

Back;

Hips and glutes.

Make it a habit to stretch out everyday, may I add at least 3 times a day. It doesn’t have to take long at all. For example, upon waking up and before stepping into your steamy shower in the morning, when going to the bathroom at work, while watching tv or before stepping into bed at night. Just make it a habit to stretch some part of your body whenever you can. It feels so good!

Print this “stretch chart” as a reminder to get started and do start today! You’ll be glad you did:)